having begun a month earlier over economic grievances. The two, Ali Hemmati and Majid Nik-Andish, were found guilty of involvement "in the riots of January that resulted in the martyrdom of four security personnel" in the northeastern city of Mashhad, said the judiciary's Mizan Online website. It added that they also "inflicted extensive damage on public property by setting fire to shops, banks, buses, etc, and even torching trees". They "were executed by hanging early Wednesday, following the Supreme Court's confirmation of their sentences". In late December, a protest movement initially sparked by the high cost of living rapidly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations that peaked on January 8 and 9. Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths, attributing the violence to "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel, while foreign-based NGOs maintain that security forces fired on protesters. US President Donald Trump had threatened at the time to intervene militarily in Iran, before the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on the Islamic republic on February 28, triggering the Middle East war. Since then, arrests and executions have multiplied in the country, linked both to the conflict and to the protests that took place earlier in the year. In 2025, Iran executed at least 1,639 people, the largest number for any year since 1989, according to the NGOs Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty. According to Amnesty International, Iran is responsible for the second most executions of any country, after China. (Bssnews)